Conventional combustion, reciprocating engines are widely used as automotive engines. A conventional engine (single-cycle, two-cycle and others) is typically composed of an engine or cylinder assembly having one or more cylinders therein. A piston is slidably disposed in the cylinder and moves reciprocally within the cylinder. A cylinder head at one end of the cylinder completes the cylinder assembly. A combustion chamber is defined by an inner wall of the cylinder, a top surface of the piston, along with the cylinder head. The cylinder head typically contains an intake and exhaust valve and a spark plug. The intake valve allows a pre-mixed fuel into a combustion chamber and the fuel is ignited by the spark plug. The exhaust valve allows the product of the combustion to be exhausted from the combustion chamber. During combustion, the piston moves reciprocally within the cylinder and eventually can wear down the inner walls of the cylinder. Cylindrical shaped liners have been developed to line the walls of the cylinder to increase the life of the cylinder. The liner may have coolant rings on its outer surface to form an annulus between the outer walls of the liner and the inner walls of the cylinder. The annulus provides a flow path for cooling liquid or air during combustion. Other types of liner may be press-fitted into the cylinder.
When the liner is worn below a predetermined thickness, it can be replaced with a new liner by using a conventional liner remover and installer. In order to remove a conventional liner, the cylinder head is removed from the cylinder assembly. The liner remover is placed on the cylinder block in order to provide leverage when the liner is removed. A conventional liner remover is comprised of a cylindrically shaped rubber component that can be inserted into the liner and then compressed to expand and frictionally engage the liner to remove it from the cylinder. Because the components are rubber, the rubber tends to disintegrate over time or melts if the liner is still hot from a combustion event. The inner wall of the liner can also become greasy due to contact with the pre-mixed fuel or oil in the cylinder. However, newer engines are made from aluminum, and the conventional liner removers are made from steel, which can scratch the cylinder bore during removal. If the cylinder bore is scored, coolant may enter the cylinder and damage the combustion chamber. Additionally, the liner remover and the installer base are typically placed on top of the cylinder block with no means of preventing lateral movements that can occur during installation or removal. The lateral movements can score the engine block's surface, which may need to be re-machined in order to function properly.
Therefore, there is a need for an apparatus and a method to remove the liner and to install a new one that will not score the engine cylinder or the engine block.